To:G. V. CHICHERIN[1]

Written:Written on November 23, 1918Published:First published in 1965 inCollected Works, Fifth Ed., Vol. 50.

      Printed from the original.Source:Lenin
	  Collected Works,

      Progress Publishers,1975,

      Moscow,Volume 44,

      pages165c-166a.Translated:Clemens DuttTranscription\Markup:R. CymbalaPublic Domain:Lenin Internet Archive.You may freely copy, distribute,
	display and perform this work, as well as make derivative and
	commercial works. Please credit “Marxists Internet
	Archive” as your source.•README

Averydetailed andcausticreply must be drawn up.
Do we recognise the German Government?Is it recognised
by allthe Councils of Deputies in Germany? If it is, then
we, too, recognise it.

“Notto influence”? By word of mouth, by the press?From the viewpoint of democracy or dictatorship?Please
clarify, but we declare that if they demand in the form
of anultimatumthat wedo not carry on agitation, we shallnotbreak with them on that account.

[1]Leninwrote this directive to Chicherin in connection with a
radio-telegram from the German Government, which was set up on
November 10, 1918, and consisted mainly of Right-wing
Social-Democrats and Centrists. In its radio-telegram of November 21,
1918, the German Government requested the Soviet Government
to issue a statement about its recognition and the obligation “to
refrain from exerting any influence on the German population
for the purpose of forming a different government”.

Lenin’sinstructions were reflected in the Note to the German
Ministry of Foreign Affairs dated November 25, 1918, which was
signed by G. V. Chicherin (seeDokumenty vneshnei politiki SSSR,
Vol. I, 1957, pp. 576–77).